Bird-Friendly Native Plants

"It's simple: By gardening with native plants, no matter where you live or how small or large your space is, you can help sustain wildlife." - Doug Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home

Your yard -- and the kinds of plants in it -- matters more than you may know. Native plants play a very important role in providing the food birds need to survive and thrive in a way that non-native plants cannot do.

Going Native
Native plants are those that occur naturally in an area. North Carolina, with its diverse geography, is home to thousands of native plant species! Our natural wildlife - including birds - have adapted to the resources provided by North Carolina's native plant population. These plants and trees are, in a real sense, home for our birds.

The current population of native plants is becoming displaced by non-native, exotic and often vigorously growing species. These invasive exotic plants encroach on natural habitats and do not provide the nutrients many birds need to survive.

Why are native plants important?
In a word: insects... Almost all land birds require insects to feed their young. Even seed-eating birds often must feed their babies insects to ensure their survival. Insects cannot adapt to eating non-native plants. Less native plants means less insects, which in turn means fewer bird babies growing to adulthood.

Where to find native plants?
Below, you will find a list of recommended and approved nurseries in North Carolina that specialize in selling native seeds and plants. These retailers are all participating partners of Audubon North Carolina's Bird-Friendly Native Plants of the Year program.

Through their Bird-Friendly Habitat Certification Program, New Hope Audubon Society (NHAS) is working to restore native habitats by helping residents in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties take steps to make their property bird-friendlier.

Members of the T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society in Greensboro are removing exotic, invasive plants at the local public “Bog Garden” at Benjamin Park—and replacing them with bird-friendly native species.

"As someone who loves birds, gardening and our natural environment, I wanted the Executive Mansion native plant garden to be a model for those interested in supporting birds and wildlife in their own backyards,” said the First Lady.